ABSTRACT
Intellectual disability (ID) is a generalised disorder that involves impairments of mental abilities that impact intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, such as reasoning, learning and problem-solving skills. Many people with IDs show high-challenging or aggressive behaviour. Definitions of aggressive behaviour vary, but the most common forms are physical aggression, sexual aggression, and self-injurious behaviour, temper tantrums, screaming and shouting. ID offenders are also responsible for a substantial amount of aggressive incidents within forensic settings. A clear understanding of an offender's aggressive and violent behaviour is a prerequisite for determining suitable treatment interventions to reduce such behaviour. This chapter describes possible determinants for aggressive and criminal behaviour in individuals with intellectual disabilities, and subsequently reviews available treatment options. Over the last decades, there is an increased interest in pathways to criminal behaviour and forensic treatment, as is evidenced. For example, by growing a literature on pathways to criminal behaviour and treatments for sex offenders and substance-abused offenders.
